VaYigash
There a lesson in Musar to be learned from Parashat VaYigash. In the Parasha in Perek 44, Pasuk 34, Yehuda is pleading with Yoseph to allow his younger brother Binyamin to return home to their father. Yehuda says "Ki Ech E’Eleh El Avi ViHanar Enenu", meaning ‘how shall I go to my father when the lad is not with me.’ Yehuda is pleading with Yoseph to allow Binyamin to leave, for the consequences of going home without him are catastrophic.
So the Ba’ale Musar (our teachers of Musar) say that every Jew must think of these words from the Pasuk as if they are referring to himself. One must think of his life’s actions, and how they would be viewed and reacted to, when going after 120 years to our father in heaven. We all are going to be accountable for our actions, just like Yehuda in this story where he was leaving his brother behind.
We must not squander our time in this life as many do in their youth. Unfortunately many people waste their early years on frivolity and they don’t fall into shape until their older years. We must learn from this Pasuk which his hinting to us about our youth, "Ki Ech E’Eleh El Avi ViHanar Enenu". The hint here is that Yehuda should have had this attitude in his youth, and he would then not be in the predicament now at hand. He should have been conservative and cautious in his ideals from early and he would not have gotten himself into trouble.
I heard once an idea from Rav Chaim Brim and he said that Yoseph was a man of vigilance and restraint. His life was filled of proper idealism and pursuit of righteousness and for this Yoseph was considered as a wise and perceptive man. Yoseph exercised caution when he conserved during the years of plenty. He rationed food even though it was in abundance, and later on his precautions paid off when famine had plagued the land. Rav Chaim Brim explained that such an attitude is what a young man should strive to achieve. A young man shouldn’t squander his early years believing that amends and reliance can be made later on. A young man must realize that he must not push off righteousness and conservation. It is never too early to set out on the proper path. Time does fly by, and before you know it, you might find yourself in the years of famine.
Don’t later on regret your past. Learn from this Pasuk, and don’t let yourself fall into dilemma. Spend your time studying, doing Mitzvot, doing Chessed, being a good father to your children, and a good husband to your wife. Life is too short to make such great mistakes. Don’t live in regret. Be smart, be cautious, be vigilant, and don’t procrastinate. Yoseph exhibited such traits, and he reaped the benefits. His brother however did not act so wisely, and he thus found himself saying "Ki Ech E’Eleh El Avi, ViHanar Enenu", (how hall I go to my father when the lad is not with me.)
